952 THE PEOPLE'S FARM AND STOCK CYCLOPEDIA. 



give the care to these hogs that they required, and the conse- 

 quence was that a reaction set in, and farmers became disgusted 

 with them so that the very name of Berkshire was an offense. 



It was not until new importations of the finest specimens 

 of the improved Berkshires that could be found in England were 

 brought to this country, about 1865, that the real merits of the 

 breed became known, and the prejudice against them began to 

 abate. They have generally been called a small breed, but the 

 improved Berkshire now is but little inferior in size to the Po- 

 land-China. J. A. Brown, of Milton, Illinois, sold a lot of Berk- 

 shire pigs, nine months old, that averaged three hundred and 

 five pounds, and they are often found at eighteen and twenty 

 months old that will weigh five hundred pounds, or more. 



The points of excellency claimed for them are : 1st. Great 

 muscular power and vitality, which renders them less liable to 

 disease than many other breeds. 2d. Activity combined with 

 strong digestive and assimilative powers, which enables them to 

 give good returns in flesh and fat for the food consumed. They 

 are excellent grazers, and their meat is marbled or streaked with 

 lean, making the hams more desirable than those of other breeds 

 that are more inclined to fat. 3d. The sows are unequaled as 

 mothers, being prolific, good sucklers and very careful nurses. 

 4th. The pigs are strong and active at birth, and not so liable to 

 mishaps as those of many other breeds. 5th. They may be 

 fattened young, making the finest quality of pig pork, or if 

 kept till maturity they can be fed to any reasonable weight. 

 6th. They are unsurpassed by any breed for uniformity of color, 

 marking and quality, and in the power of the boar to transmit 

 the valuable qualities of the breed to its progeny when used as 

 a cross. When crossed with the Poland-China they make the 

 best feeding hog in existence, whether they are to be fed at 

 eight to ten months old, or kept over to be fattened at maturity. 

 The breed is so prominent, and its merits so well understood 

 that an " American Berkshire Association " has been formed and 

 a herd book published. 



This convention agreed upon the following as the character- 

 istics and markings of the Berkshire hog: "Color black, with 



